Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni lauds bowling, fielding

Chennai: Even though Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of Indian Premier League season-4, captain MS Dhoni said the contest had a lot to offer even in defeat.

Chennai edged past Kolkata by two runs to start their IPL title defence on a high note on Friday.

"It was a first game with a new team, and you get a new car and you want to break it in, but you don't want to 'break it'. Even if we did not win this game, we would have got a lot out of it," Dhoni said after the match.

Dhoni, who also led India to World Cup triumph, lauded all his bowlers for their effort apart from giving his fielders a pat on their back.

The skipper also said that he was not worried even when Kolkata were going great at one stage.

"The fielding was very good. Tim bowled well, Randiv and Raina did well, and Ashwin as always was brilliant. When they had around 70 after the first 7-8 overs, people may have thought the game was over, but I said this is when it begins since the pitch will slow up," he said.

Asked about the final ball of the match which was to be bowled by Tim Southee and Kolkata needed a four to win, Dhoni said he was sure that a yorker on the leg side would win them the match.

Man-of-the-match Srikkanth Anirudha, who scored 64 off 55 balls, said he could have got more runs.

"I got a chance to open after a long time and I liked it. I did not bat like my dad (Krish Srikkanth), I took my time to get in and play my shots. We thought 160 was a good total and we eventually got there,” said Anirudha.

Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir, said the target was very much in their reach.

"We tried our best, 150 was a par score and we should have chased it. But this is what T20 is all about, you set a platform, but things can change. It is a long tournament, long way to go," he said.

Gambhir also defended his decision to come down the order to bat when the match had almost slipped out of their hands.